In the lo-fi, acoustic singer-songwriter genre there seems to be a sweet spot where the melody, instrumentation, voice and lyrics all assemble into a perfectly harmonious point, and what appears from this somehow transcends the minimalism of the components. Elliott Smith was the master of this, hitting that sweet spot time and time again throughout his records. He is also the most immediate comparison to Karl McCann, who produces music in a similarly raw, emotional and haunting acoustic style. Whilst I don't think Karl always manages to completely hit that sweet spot across his new album 'Pretty Misery', there are many times when he does, and this record shows some amazing potential from the the Liverpool based artist.
One of the things that always stood out to me sonically on Elliott Smith's music was the evocation of a city (in his case Portland) and the strange feelings of isolation and solitude that can occur despite being surrounded by crowds of people and tall, monolithic skyscrapers. Unsurprisingly for someone based in Liverpool, Karl McCann's music brings to mind this ambience too, especially on the fittingly titled opening track 'Elusive Recluse'. It's possibly the catchiest tune on the album, and the lyrics are as minimal as the melody itself, but Karl leaves enough space in the song to both read and listen between the lines. The haunting strings in the background of the chorus harmonise wonderfully with Karl's sombre vocals, softly calling out “I'm waiting for the call...” with a sense that this call will probably never arrive.
It sets up well for the rest of the record, which follows a similar tone throughout, Karl's eerie vocals feeling so present and close that at times he could be singing directly into your eardrums. His acoustic guitar and voice are the primary instrumental components of the album, but the additional strings, keys and electronics help elevate much of this record sonically. It's particularly noticeable on the title track, where the deep cello gives a sweet contrast to Karl's hazy crooning and bright falsetto.
There are tracks here where Karl eschews the extra instrumentation and opts for a pure and stripped back sound, such as on 'Shining In The Dark', which feels so hopeless and despondent that the melancholic timbre is overwhelming in a quite stunning way. 'Away With The Fairies', my personal favourite track on the record, is another stripped back tune with a chord progression and vocal melody that reach a mournful harmony in the chorus. The lyrics in the verses are more metaphorical than many on the record, so it's a nice contrasting dichotomy when the chorus comes in very stark and direct with the question “Do you remember how you hurt me?/Are you away with the fairies?”.
The track 'We Sleep Alone Tonight' is a duet with fellow Merseyside singer-songwriter Rachael Dunn. Her warm and sweet vocals are a gorgeous counterbalance on their own, but when the two voices come together there is a dazzling convergence of tones that resonates like an entirely new voice altogether. It reminds me of the best moments in the early Simon & Garfunkel recordings, two voices harmonising and contrasting at the same time.
On the beautiful closing track 'Looking For The Clues' Karl actually eludes the use of acoustic guitar, instead opting for piano as the lead instrument, coupled with some dark strings and big walls of synthesizer that give the tune a grander sound and a new context for Karl's breathy vocals. It also has some of the best lyrics on the album, the opening couplet of “It's hard to sing when I'm still dreaming/Voices in my head are barely screaming” being a great example of Karl's poetic minimalism. When I talked about hitting the sweet spot earlier, this track is exactly what I meant.
There are some moments which feel a little underwhelming; as much as the faltering tremolo vocals in 'Revealing From Afar' are quite lovely, the track feels somewhat underwritten and tended to passed me by. 'Endless Dare' and 'It's Not Me' both fit well within the context of the record, but don't necessarily stand out on their own, and could perhaps benefit from some more variation in the vocal melodies which lack the kind of unintentional inflections that make other comparable artists such as Conor Oberst, Nick Drake or even Joni Mitchell so uniquely intriguing.
This record is certainly a grower; the haunting tone of the record came across as slightly monotonous on first listen, but as I got to know the songs better I was able to discover more of the nuances and subtleties, and the album became more and more engaging with each spin. There are some stunning moments on this album where Karl really hits that singer-songwriter sweet spot, particularly 'Away With The Fairies', 'Elusive Recluse' and 'Looking For The Clues'. His dedication to a lo-fi and organic tone throughout this record is very admirable and it never feels under-produced for the sake of it. If he keeps going in the same vein and delves further into his sound to bring out more details in his melodies, there could be some amazing music to come from Karl McCann.
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